Ash tray



Sept. 8, 1942. c, TLE 2,295,245

ASH TRAY Filed April 29, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor fd/mar Ia 77/6Allow/e Sept. 8, 1942; J. c. TUTTLE 2,295,245

ASH TRAY Filed April 29, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor c /m a a 2277/?Patented Sept. 8, 1942 ASH EBAY James C. Tuttle, South Glens Falls, N.Y. Application April 29, 1941, Serial No. 390,976 3 Claims. (o1.131-235) This invention relates to ash trays and more particularly to atrough for use in conjunction therewith.

An object of the present invention is to provide a trough whereby thecigar, cigarette, or pipe may, with greater security, be retained inposition on the ash tray, with the particular object, intent and purposebeing to effectively guard against the cigar, cigarette or pipe fallingfrom the trough and clear of the tray onto the table top or othersurface upon which the tray may be placed, resulting in damage byburning or scorching such surface,

A further object of the invention is to provide a trough for use inconnection with an ash tray characterized by improved means tofacilitate removing excess ashes from the cigar or cigarette as the casemay be.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a trough or ashtray which, in addition to the safety factor above referred to, willtend to materially enhance the ornamental appearance of the tray.

The invention, together with its objects and advantages, will be bestunderstood from a study of the following description taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a top plan of an ash tray equipped with troughs inaccordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view thereof.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view through the tray.

Figure l is a bottom plan view of a trough forming part of the presentinvention, and

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view through the trough at one end ofthe latter.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, it will be seen that the ashtray embodies a tray or receptacle part 5 which may be of any suitableshape, depth, and dimensions, and is characterized by having in thecenter thereof a post or pedestal 6.

In accordance with the present invention, there is seated in a recess orsocket I provided centrally in the bottom of the tray 5 one end of aretaining pin 8, and in the base or bottom thereof the post 6 isprovided with an axial socket 9 to receive the upstanding end of the pin8 whereby the post 6 is positively secured in position on the tray, butat the same time can be readily removed or separated from the tray tofacilitate the cleaning of the tray and the post, when desirable.

Further, the post 6 is provided in the top side removing of excess ashfrom a cigar or thereof with a transverse groove [0 to accommodate abook of matches.

Also in accordance with the present invention the post 6 serves as asupport for, in the present instance, two identical troughs Hconstituting the salient feature of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, each trough I l is formed froma single blank of metal or other suitable material, cut, shaped, anddimensioned to provide a substantially V-shaped body I2 that has onewall thereof provided with apertures l3 through the medium of which, andnails or other fastening elements It, the trough is readily secured tothe post 6 adjacent the upper end of the post and at one side thereof,and preferably at an angle to the horizontal as shown.

Where, as shown, two such troughs are used, they are mounted at oppositesides of the post 6 and are inclined in opposite directions.

Further each trough H at one end thereof is formed to provide a pair ofcoextensive, laterally spaced fingers |5 that provide between theirconfronting edges an opening l6 through which the lighted end of a cigaror cigarette may be passed to engage with an inner edge ll of a fingerfor removing the excess ashes therefrom. In this connection, the edgesI! of the fingers l5 arefeathered to a sharpened edge to render suchedges more practical for the purpose designed, namely to facilitate theremoving of excess ash from the cigar or cigarette,

The fingers l5 have their terminals curved upwardly as shown, and thefingers also coact to form, as it were, a pocket at one end of thetrough to accommodate the bowl of a pipe with the stem of the pipedisposed longitudinally within the trough.

Preferably the troughs H are of a length materially less than thediameter of' the tray 5 so that if, for any reason, the cigarette, orpipe thereon becomes displaced, it will fall into the tray 5 and notonto the surface of the table or other support upon which the ash traymay be placed.

The simplicity, as well as the many advantages of a trough embodying thefeatures of the present invention, it is believed, will be readilyappreciated by those skilled in the art without further detaileddescription.

In connection with the above it is specifically pointed out that inaccordance with the present invention the arrangement of the fingers I5is such that they not only serve to facilitate the cigarette,

against shifting but facilitate to a material extent the extinguishingof the cigar or cigarette, such extinguishing of the cigar or cigarettebeing accomplished almost immediately upon engagement of the lighted endthereof with the finger equipped end of the trough.

Another advantage to be noted is that with the trough arranged in aninclined position the cigar or cigarette arranged therein is supportedin a manner to be protected against draft or wind with the result'thatthe cigarette will not burn fast, as is generally the case when acigarette is at a position of rest.

Also a further advantage in having the trough V-shaped in cross sectionis that it provides maximum frictional drag along the length of thecigar or cigarette, regardless of the diameter thereof, thus serving toretain the cigar or cigarette in proper position within the trough andlengthwise thereof to, possibly, ultimately fall from the trough at thelower end thereof.

A further advantage in having the trough mounted at an incline is thatthe unlighted end of the cigar or cigarette, as left therein, isdisposed upwardly and therefore conveniently disposed for removal of thecigar or cigarette from the trough.

It is also to be understood that while I have herein illustrated thepreferred embodiment of the invention, I do not wish to limit myself tothe precise details of construction, combination, arrangement and shapeof parts as herein illustrated and described, since changes may be madetherein by others working in or familiar with the'art.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is:

1. An ash tray for cigarettes, cigars, and pipes comprising a receptaclehaving a post rising from the bottom thereof, and troughs mounted on thepost and disposed at an incline, said troughs being of a lengthmaterially leSs than the overall diameter or width of the tray, and eachof said troughs at the lower end thereof being provided with a pair ofintegral coextensive fingers laterally spaced and curving upwardly toprovide a pocket for accommodating the bowl of a smoking pipe, saidfingers having inner edges converging inwardly of the trough and forminga wedge-shaped opening, to provide an ash remover.

2. An ash tray for cigarettes, cigars, and pipes comprising a receptablehaving a post rising from the bottom thereof, and troughs mounted on thepost and disposed at an incline, said troughs being of a lengthmaterially less than the overall diameter or Width of the tray, and eachof said troughs at the lower end thereof being provided with a pair ofintegral coextensive fingers laterally spaced and curving up-- wardly toprovide a pocket for accommodating the bowl of a smoking pipe, and eachof said fingers having the inner edge thereof feathered to provide arelatively sharp edge to facilitate the removal of excess ash from acigar or cigarette.

3. In an ash tray, a trough for accommodating a cigar, cigarette, orpipe, said trough comprising a body substantially V-shaped incross-section and having the walls thereof at one end of the troughmerging into integral fingers curving upwardly with respect to thebottom of the trough, said fingers coacting to provide at one end of thetrough a pocket for accommodating the bowl of a smoking pipe, and eachof said fingers having a feathered edge to facilitate the scraping ofexcess ash from the burning end of a cigar or cigarette.

JAMES C. TUTTLE.

